Dog of the Day: George the Foooooofly Wiener

A very distinctive miniature dachshund today. I wish my pictures had turned out better, because it’s really hard to see what makes him so unusual: he has the typical marks of a black-with-tan-points dachshund, but he’s red instead of black! I initially thought that this would make him recessive-red (remember Melvin?) but I have also found references to dominant-red (chestnut?) dachshunds with tan points.

(And Melvin, who could have been expected to have tan points, didn’t… they were the same shade as the recessive-red background, which leads me to suspect that the ‘points’ are basically the same thing as the recessive red, fur that is lacking the normal black melanin that would ordinarily hide the red, but only showing up in a few places instead of all over. But given that the genetic explanations are mostly either way over my head or way too simplified to be of use, I am having a bit of trouble figuring this stuff out!)

Red Long-Haired Dachshund with Tan Points

Whatever else he is, George certainly is foofly.

Red Long-Haired Dachshund with Tan Points

Certainly is an unusual coloration, whatever its origin.

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3 Responses to Dog of the Day: George the Foooooofly Wiener

  1. senya parker says:

    he looks like a miniture long- haired dachshund to me and they do have that chestnut color…………………………………….right?

  2. Indecisive says:

    That’s just a liver with red points! 🙂 You can tell because his nose is the same color as the part where a normal black and tan dog would have black.
    So his genetics would include “bb” for liver and the “at” for points. (Genetics = tricky chemistry)

    • Adam Lang says:

      Hah! I knew there’d be something like that. So basically liver is the same thing as recessive red: it overrides the black with a lighter color, but not as light as the recessive red, which would be the same color as the points.

      Sweet, thanks for the learning opportunity!

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